Corey Lewandowski, a senior adviser to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and longtime Trump ally, entered the cockpit of a government jet uninvited during a flight last year and later fired a pilot because Noem's blanket had been left behind when they switched planes.
That's according to two people familiar with the matter, as reported by Reuters. The incident reportedly occurred last spring on a Gulfstream jet. One source told Reuters that Lewandowski entered the cockpit before the plane had reached 10,000 feet, while the seatbelt sign was still on. The pilots asked him to return to the cabin until they reached cruising altitude.
After discovering that Noem's blanket was missing, apparently left behind during a plane switch due to technical reasons before takeoff, Lewandowski asked who should be fired. He then fired the pilot on the spot, according to the sources. The pilot was later reinstated by the U.S. Coast Guard, though Reuters said it was unable to independently confirm the reason for the reinstatement.
Lewandowski pushed back on the characterization of the cockpit entry, telling Reuters:
"There was never a conversation in the cockpit when the flight was taking off."
He did not respond, however, when asked whether he entered the cockpit while the plane was still climbing and under 10,000 feet. He also did not comment when asked about his employment status.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Coast Guard both declined to comment on the flight. They did not respond to Reuters' request to interview the pilots. The FAA also did not respond to a request for comment.
The 10,000-foot threshold matters. The Coast Guard's own 2021 operations manual states plainly:
"No person shall engage in any conversation or activity that could distract or interfere with a flight crewmember properly conducting their assigned duties during critical phases of flight."
Randy Klatt, a flight safety officer with The Foundation for Aviation Safety, described the initial climb phase as "low and slow," explaining the risk in clear terms:
"This is a vulnerable situation for any aircraft. You don't have the altitude to spare, or trade for airspeed if needed."
For civil aircraft operators, violating the sterile cockpit rule can carry fines of thousands of dollars. Reuters noted that several FAA rules were tightened after 9/11. The outlet was careful to say its details "suggest" Lewandowski "may have violated" guidelines rather than stating a definitive finding.
Conservatives should be honest about this: Firing a pilot over a missing blanket is not serious governance. It's the kind of behavior that hands ammunition to opponents and distracts from the actual work DHS should be doing.
Lewandowski holds the title of "special government employee," a designation that limits him to 130 days of work annually. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month on infighting and tensions at DHS under Noem and Lewandowski, including the pilot firing. The Journal also reported that the White House Counsel's Office opened an investigation last year into Lewandowski's use of the quasi-government role. A DHS spokesperson told Reuters the department was not aware of any such investigation.
None of this helps. The Trump administration is executing the most aggressive immigration enforcement operation in a generation. DHS is at the center of it. The work is consequential, and the political headwinds are already fierce enough without self-inflicted turbulence from inside the building.
The White House, when asked about the situation, referred to remarks from late January in which President Trump praised Noem. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump had the "utmost confidence and trust" in the Homeland Security Secretary.
That confidence should be a resource, not something that gets burned down by staff drama on a Gulfstream. The immigration enforcement agenda has real enemies. Congressional Democrats, activist judges, and sanctuary jurisdictions are all working to undermine it daily. Every news cycle consumed by blanket disputes and cockpit confrontations is a cycle not spent advancing the mission.
There is serious work happening at DHS. Serious work deserves serious people behaving seriously. Entering a cockpit during a critical phase of flight, violating your own agency's safety manual, and terminating a pilot over a comfort item does not meet that standard.
The pilot got his job back. The story didn't go away.